Billionaire George Soros plans to establish charitable “solidarity houses” to help what he calls “Greek migrants”. These solidarity houses would serve as community centres for the local population and also provide food and shelter to migrants. In his open letter published on The Guardian, George Soros underlines the necessity to show European solidarity towards people in need in times of economic crisis and recession and revive the lost spirit of the European Union. But his main aim is to halt the rising neo-nazi movement in Greece and social solidarity can be the “powerful response to the fascist sentiment of Golden Dawn.”

Helping Greek migrants would show European solidarity – posted by George Soros

Offering food and shelter to Greek migrants and community centres to the local population would be a powerful response to the fascist sentiment of Golden Dawn

“Originally, the European Union was what psychologists call a “fantastic object,” a desirable goal that inspires people’s imaginations. I saw it as the embodiment of an open society – an association of nation-states that gave up part of their sovereignty for the common good and formed a union dominated by no one nation or nationality.

The euro crisis, however, has turned the EU into something radically different. Member countries are now divided into two classes – creditors and debtors – with the creditors in charge. As the largest and most creditworthy country, Germany occupies a dominant position. Debtor countries pay substantial risk premiums to finance their debt, which is reflected in their high economy-wide borrowing costs. This has pushed them into a deflationary tailspin and put them at a substantial – and potentially permanent – competitive disadvantage vis-à-vis creditor countries.

This outcome does not reflect a deliberate plan, but rather a series of policy mistakes. Germany did not seek to occupy a dominant position in Europe, and it is reluctant to accept the obligations and liabilities that such a position entails. Call this the tragedy of the European Union.

Recent developments seem to offer grounds for optimism. The authorities are taking steps to correct their mistakes, especially with the decision to form a banking union and the outright monetary transactions programme, which would allow unlimited intervention by the European Central Bank in the sovereign-bond market. Financial markets have been reassured that the euro is here to stay. That could be a turning point, provided it is adequately reinforced with additional steps toward greater integration.

Unfortunately, the EU’s unfolding tragedy characteristically feeds on such glimmers of hope. Germany remains willing to do the minimum – and nothing more – to hold the euro together, and the EU’s recent steps have merely reinforced German resistance to further concessions. This will perpetuate the division between creditor and debtor countries.

A widening gap in economic performance and political dominance is such a dismal prospect for the EU that it must not be allowed to become permanent. There must be a way to prevent it – after all, history is not predetermined. The EU, originally conceived as an instrument of solidarity, is today held together by grim necessity. That is not conducive to a harmonious partnership. The only way to reverse the trend is to recapture the spirit of solidarity that animated the European project from the start.

To that end, I recently established an Open Society Initiative for Europe (OSIFE). In doing so, I recognised that the best place to start would be where current policies have created the greatest human suffering: Greece. The people who are suffering are not those who abused the system and caused the crisis. The fate of the many migrant and asylum seekers caught in Greece is particularly heart-rending. But their plight cannot be separated from that of the Greeks themselves. An initiative confined to migrants would merely reinforce the growing xenophobia and extremism in Greece.

We could set up solidarity houses in Greece, which would serve as community centres for the local population and also provide food and shelter to migrants. There are already many soup kitchens and civil-society efforts to help the migrants, but these initiatives cannot cope with the scale of the problem. What I have in mind is to reinforce these efforts.

The EU’s asylum policy has broken down. Refugees must register in the member country where they enter, but the Greek government cannot process the cases. Some 60,000 refugees who sought to register have been put into detention facilities where conditions are inhumane. Migrants who do not register and live on the street are attacked by the hooligans of the neo-fascist Golden Dawn party.

Currently, Golden Dawn is making political headway by providing social services to Greeks while attacking migrants. The initiative that I propose would offer a positive alternative, based on solidarity – the solidarity of Europeans with Greeks and of Greeks with migrants. It would provide a practical demonstration of the spirit that ought to infuse the entire EU.

As soon as possible, I will dispatch an OSIFE needs-assessment team to Greece to contact the authorities – and the people and organisations already helping the needy – to work out a plan for which we can generate public support. My goal is to revive the idea of the EU as an instrument of solidarity, not only of discipline. (Soros’ letter appears shortened here. Read full article The Guardian)

Before we fully support Soros’ project also with ideas, the philanthropist has to explain first:, what he means by saying “Greek Migrants” !?

9 Comments so far:

Before we fully support Soros’ project also with ideas, the philanthropist has to explain first:, what he means by saying ”Greek Migrants” !?

It would seem from reading the article that he is talking about immigrants (both legal and illegal) in Greece. On the face of it, I personally say “good on you George”. As long as he does indeed put his money where his mouth is…

He means immigrants who have ended up in Greece by the term ‘Greek migrants’
A good idea – which I believe will not be well received by Greeks …. what’s in it for the Greeks. Anyone who has ever lived here for a decent amount of time knows that Greeks have a selfish outlook, something that seems to be embedded. The majority think on a ‘what do I gain’ line of attitude. There are very few volunteers here and even less charitable organisations.
Also I wonder if George Soros (an Hungarian/American) knows what red tape awaits him and how many hands will have to be ‘oiled’ to see this project through?

“A good idea – which I believe will not be well received by Greeks”
Why would starving Greeks react well to a zionist anti-white feeding only starving brown people and not starving white people? If I do recall correcly, Golden dawn did the exact same thing and was called nazi for it. Certainly you are not that big of an hypocrite?

I believe that Soros for once in his life (google “soros broke the bank of England” to see how the damage he did to the UK economy 20 years ago) has his heart in the right place. From reading KTG, I get the impression that a lot (though not all) of Greeks who support Golden Dawn or rely on them for food and clothing do so, as they have no other choice. Any attempt to provide more free social aid to struggling Greek households has to be welcomed especially if it at least has the possibility to undercut the Golden Dawn’s support. Whether it will make any real impact is to be seen though. The Golden Dawn could potentially portray Soros’s initiative as being part of a ” foreign Zionist conspiracy” in their typical anti-Semitic propaganda and as being “pro-migrant” and asimenia has pointed out above, that it might not be so easy to make Soros’s plan work . Still any attempt to help the Greek people has to be applauded.

but is his plan to help the Greeks or the immigrants – how I read it tells me that his plan is to help immigrants with a side help to homeless/needy Greeks. Best thing he can do is set up businesses for much needed work.

Business-Plan for Mr. Soros:
All ships must use wind-turbines, pedal-powered submarines for tourists, bike-hostels, pedicab-network, bike-lanes all over Greece, bike-industry (+fashion, shoes, bags, etc.), wooden framed wind-mills esp. in rural areas for energy and (extra) water supply.
Brings a million jobs and no one needs to destroy nature for wind, gold, oil and gas.
There’s still 12 billions of EU-money that needs to get papers straight until end of 2013…

Let me guess. When Greek feed their own it is “nazi”, “fascist”, “racist”, “xenophobic”, “hateful” but when ultra-rich jewish George Soros selectively just feeds just immigrants, that is showing solidarity? In the multiculti mindset, as long as the people you are helping do not have white skin, it is all good.